Open Hostilities
by Sesshyfan1121
Summary: The Methuselahs have conquered the planet. Or have they? Will Rome fall before them? Not if Cardinal Caterina Sforza and Father Abel Nightroad have any say in the matter! And will a Panzer Magier lend aid? Abel & Caterina, implied Caterina & Isaak.
1. Chapter 1

It had come down to this. After the Kingdom of Albion had fallen under the sway of the Methuselah Empire, the other Terran centers of power had found it more and more difficult to maintain their autonomy. Finally all that was left to stand against the might of the Methuselahs was Rome and the power of the Vatican. After much bloodshed and rivers of tears, the Methuselah army massed at the gates of the city itself. The streets were silent as the grave as what was left of the citizenry huddled in what buildings were left. Mostly, they were pre-Armageddon structures, and churches. It was a calculated insult by the New Terran Empire.

Inside the Vatican's war room, years of frustrations had boiled over into outright animosity between half-siblings Francesco di Medici and Caterina Sforza. Bigger men than Caterina had been cowed by Francesco's towering rages, and even now Pope Alessandro had dissolved into tears as his sibs snarled bitter imprecations at each other. But the petite blonde woman had not given an inch in this battle of words; instead Francesco had been forced to take a few steps backward. "And if I have to join the Orden to save this city, I shall!" Caterina cried at the top of her lungs. A brittle silence stretched across the room, as the college of Cardinals collectively held its breath. Francesco drew back his arm and struck his sister a blow that rocked her on her feet. But Caterina refused to fall.

She tasted blood in her mouth, whether he had loosened a tooth or she had simply bitten the inside of her mouth she could not immediately ascertain. "Brother…" whispered Alessandro, blinking away his tears. "You traitorous bitch." Francesco hissed. Slowly, deliberately, Caterina turned her face, the smooth unmarked ivory flesh a counterpoint to the livid handprint on her left cheek. "Do it again, brother." She dared him, eyes flashing unrepentantly. "For did not the Son say, 'If they have hated me, they will hate you also?'"

Francesco balled his hands into fists but did not dare speak. He simply could not find words to express his malice. Caterina waited. Heartbeats stretched into seeming years. "Now direct your anger to doing your duties." She said flatly. "This city shall NOT fall while I draw breath." She looked around the room, meeting the eyes of every man there. "We are in agreement then? The Guards shall support and assist AX and the regular troops?" A murmur met her words.

Alessandro stood, straightening his shoulders, and a new determination setting his childish jaw. "You have heard the words of Her Eminence. And now hear mine. All shall support the resistance, which shall be spearheaded by Cardinal Caterina and her AX. Final authority in ALL military matters is now vested in her. Any opposition or insubordination shall result in an swift meting of justice. This I, Alessandro XVII, say. And may the blessings of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost be on you all."

Caterina watched them all depart in a flurry of richly embroidered cloth and finery. She, in particular, did not take her eyes from Francesco until he was well out of sight. She had been surprised by Alessandro. Perhaps there was hope in the boy yet. She pressed a finger to her temple. "Sister Kate. Inform Crusnik, Sword Dancer, the Professor, Gunslinger, Know Faith and Dandelion that there will be a meeting in 15 minutes in my office. And be there yourself, as well. Caterina out."

As she departed the war room, she was the embodiment of serenity. But she never lost her awareness for dangers in the shadows. Francesco would have his vengeance, if the coming battle did not bring her death.


	2. Chapter 2

Tres would have sighed, had it been in his nature, or his programming to do so. It was counterproductive for him to be separated from the person he was supposed to be protecting for reasons such as modesty. What a concept. He had attempted to explain his reasoning to Caterina but she had steadfastly refused. His only consolation was that every male in AX had, at some point or another, reminded him that human females did not always appreciate sound reasoning. He thought it was high time that Caterina was done with her ridiculous bath at any rate. As if she had done anything to require one!

Caterina finished struggling with the strictures of her corset and hurled the offending garment across the room. The ivory satin with its gold embroidery was unarguably impressive, and went well with the rest of her cardinal's robes, now scattered across the floor like so many leaves. But it was damned uncomfortable, and almost impossible to free ones-self from, particularly unaided. But she had no intentions of asking Tres for his help, nor would she involve her handmaidens.

For her plan to work as intended, she needed to steal away - while Tres thought she was bathing, and Abel thought she was still in her meeting. And there was absolutely no sneaking around anywhere in her robes. She would be besieged with anxious people wanting reassurance from the Church, from herself. Anonymous was the word of the day, and the drab, nondescript somber black dress she laced herself into would definitely help. She worked her hair into a tight braid, coiled it atop her head, and tied a kerchief across it, hiding its pale sheen. Changing her shoes from soft slippers to sturdy boots completed her preparations, and she stepped to the casement window, with no small amount of trepidation. It was a long way down from here. Luckily, the sill was deep and there was an ancient ivy vine nearby. It would have to do. Murmuring a low but extremely heartfelt prayer, she began her descent.

A few moments later, she had joined the populace of the city, keeping her head bowed and her eyes seemingly downcast. But she was aware of every shadow that crossed her path, and every other person on the streets. She did not spend as much time in the field as did her agents, but she was not a mere figurehead. She knew precisely how to do what she was doing, and, more importantly, that time was of the essence. The streets of Rome were no longer safe after dark, particularly for a lone female. And certainly not where she was going. It was not safe for anyone to be there alone. But, had she wanted safety, she would have spent her days in Milan, married, no doubt, with 2.4 children underfoot. She smiled slightly. No doubt that image featured frequently in Francesco's prayers. She ducked into an alleyway, avoiding the more suspicious of the dank puddles, and carefully avoided brushing up against the stone walls. God alone knew what was smeared on them, and how long it had been there.

She stopped in front of the most decrepit looking of the buildings. Two hulking beings of indeterminate gender – surely male, surely no female would be quite so hirsute – loitered in what could laughingly be called the entryway, apparently guarding it. And there were about as likely to be the true guards as she was to be the next Pope. She stepped smartly toward them, moving her hands imperiously in Magier handtalk. I will speak with Wizard. The direct approach was usually the best with this type. "Why should we be letting you waste his time, girlie?" Unimpressive Guard numero uno inquired. "Especially when we could think of something much better for you to be doing" the second one leered. "I do not have time to play games with gutter trash." Caterina said coldly, retrieving her twin pistols from their holsters, and aiming them directly at the so-called guards. "So how about letting Von Kampfer know I'm here, hm?" Smarting at the gutter trash remark, but unwilling to argue with an opponent whose armament outweighed their brawling skills, the sullen guards allowed her entry.

The crumbling wreck that the palazzo appeared to be on the outside, was actually quite the dragon's lair on the inside, with dark gleaming wood, sparkling metalware, and all in all, an atmosphere of indulgent decadence. In short, what she had expected. "Isaak." Caterina called, her voice a low growl, and the twin matte black pistols – not the AX standard issue gear – steady in her hands. "You'd better show yourself, or I'm going to start making holes in this wreck you live in."

"Caterina, Caterina. You haven't changed a bit. Do come inside, and put away those toy pistols of yours for now." Isaak appeared on the stairs above her, holding out one white-gloved hand in a studied mockery of court manners. "Who knows, I may even let you shoot me later, for old time's sake." Caterina swept up the stairs, tucking her pistols away, for the moment. "Isaak, for old time's sake, don't tempt me." She countered, accepting the hand, mostly to keep it from showing up in some inappropriate place later.

They walked along the echoing hallways to what had been, in some happier time, a ballroom. "Dear Caterina. Had I known you were coming I would have killed the fatted calf." Isaak curved his lips into a sardonic smile. "Isaak. I am not your dear." She began in exasperation. "And I am not here to sample your culinary skills!" Heavens above, but the man could annoy her faster than any other. That only brought a chuckle from him. "Have a seat, my dear, and a little wine. And we can discuss which of my skills you are in need of." He offered her a cut-crystal goblet filled to the brim with deep red wine. "In your dreams." She sniffed, accepting the glass and taking a sip of the smooth, rich wine.

Meanwhile, at the Palazzio Spada, Tres calculated that he had waited a sufficient amount of time for the grubbiest urchin on the streets of Rome to reach purity sufficient for heaven itself. Further, he could not hear any sound from the lady herself. This too was disturbing. "Lady Caterina, you must have completed your task by now. You shall be late for vespers." He called as he walked into her rooms, ready to avert his gaze if needed. But all he found was a neatly folded set of robes and an open window. "This is not in keeping with normal operations." He stated flatly, and immediately ascertained that the nearest AX agent was Crusnik. Good. Perhaps Father Nightroad could shed some light on Caterina's most peculiar actions.

Roughly five minutes later, Abel had mobilized every person even remotely allied with AX in an attempt to locate Caterina. For Sister Kate could not detect her personal signature with the communications array of the _Iron_ _Maiden_. That meant that the Duchess of Milan was either located behind some device that shielded her from being seen, likely against her will, or she was dead. Neither option suited Abel or Tres. And it was growing dark.

Meanwhile, Caterina was mentally kicking herself for undertaking this fool's errand. Apparently, the depleted wealth of the Vatican held no allure for the man across from her. And as much as she loathed to admit it, she feared that his skills would be necessary in the morrow's battle, if only because the vampires would not be expecting them. "What DO you want then?" she cried in exasperation. The Panzer Magier laughed then, full-throated and delighted. "To see you in something a little more appealing, for one." A flicker of his fingers, and the drab gown she wore was gone, replaced with something more…in keeping with the rest of décor, shall we say? The formal gown was made of rich black satin, accented with laces the color of her Cardinal's robes, and quite clingy. "Yes, that's much better." Caterina felt a stirring of horror – where the hell were her pistols now, pray tell? Another flicker, and her hair swung freely down her back once more. "That is more in line with how I remember you in Venice, my dear." He informed the outraged Caterina. "To hell with your memories!" she hissed, leaping to her feet, and cracking the wineglass against the table. "I will have your help in the battle tomorrow!" she declared in a steely tone.

"Perhaps." He agreed, rising gracefully. "But for now, we are still discussing terms. And I prefer to think on my feet." He rested a hand on her waist, captured her wrist in the other, and whirled her into a dance to music only he could hear. "I loathe you." She reminded him. "No, no, you merely hold hurt feelings since I have tried to kill you twice now. Understand, my dear, I would be saddened to see you die."

He leaned closer to her, lips almost touching hers. "There has been no other like you, Caterina." Her eyes widened, for that had been the only statement he had made that held the ring of truth. "Imagine what we could have been together, what we could still be." She froze in his embrace, her mind carried to a time eleven years ago, before AX, when she was but a young woman and he was but the mysterious stranger she saw across a dance floor much like this one. And how they had carried on a flirtation much like this one, and how it had ended, the moonlight gilding bare skin, dark hair spilled like satin across her pillows.

He tilted her chin up with a finger, trailed it down her neck to the shadow of her collarbone, tracing an old scar that he had put there, by accident. She pressed her own fingertip against his throat, the scar in the hollow of it that she had put there deliberately, in anguished betrayal when she realized just what he was. Their gazes locked and held, words unspoken on their lips.

Caterina broke the spell, planting her hands firmly against his chest and shoving away. "No!" She had thought how different his eyes were from Abel's, and yet, in some lights, how similar the feelings they held were. And thinking of Abel had given her the strength to break the enchantment the memories and the wine had woven. "I shall not betray him!" she murmured, mostly to herself, but Isaak heard her all the same. "I knew that would be your answer." He would have sighed, had it been in his character to do so. "I would regret if you lost your life to another, Caterina. I shall be there in the morning. But first…"He put his hands on her waist again, pulled her to him, and kissed her as he had kissed no other since the last time he had touched her. And then, stepping back from her, he wove a pattern and tapped her temple with his finger. As expected, the spell worked, and she went limp like a puppet with its strings cut. With infinite care, he eased her unconscious form to the floor. "I shall leave you here, for him to find, so that once again he can play the knight in shining armor, my dearest Caterina." He murmured, and, stepping into the shadows, made his departure.

Moments later, Abel and Tres arrived, clued in by the sudden reappearance of Caterina on the _Iron_ _Maiden_'s sensors. But they were left with more questions than answers, as they returned with her to the Palazzio, just before the sun fully set. And when she awakened, Caterina could not, or would not, offer any explanation for why she had been unconscious on the floor of an abandoned building, dressed in what could only be described as formal wear, and barely-there, at that. Back in her rooms, she had dismissed all but Abel, who perched on the edge of her bed uneasily, as if afraid to move, as if she would disappear before his very eyes. She longed to explain to Abel, but she feared that the knowledge that his old nemesis was responsible for her condition would lead him on a fruitless quest for Isaak's whereabouts, and she needed him at her side. She sat the teacup on her bedside table, and reached out for him, drawing him to her with surprising suddenness and strength. "Abel…" she took his face in her hands. "No matter what happens in tomorrow's battle, please know that I have, and always shall, love you." He tried to form words to express what he felt, and decided to show her instead. Outside, Tres leaned against the doorframe with apparent casualness. Fortunately, he was not human and thus not subject to a need for such activities as sleep, or such emotions as embarrassment. Sometimes, he wondered how humans functioned as well as they did. But then, he reflected loyally, not everyone could be said to be the very special humans he guarded this night.


	3. Chapter 3

Open Hostilities 3 – Dark Alliance

Dawn would not brighten the city of Rome for several hours yet. However, there was much activity in the city. Troops were massing along the walls on both sides, and what was left of the general populace crowded into churches and cathedrals, rosaries in hand, trying not to think too much about the soldiers with their armor and crosses, and especially not about the enemy on the other side of the walls.

The Vatican's war room was full of schematics, battle plans, and Lost Technology weapons implementation strategies. In the center of it all, Cardinal Caterina Sforza directed the activity with implacable calm. One had the impression that if the roof suddenly caved in, she would stand steadfast and unmoved. Yet, those who knew her well detected the trace of nerves, all she would allow herself to display, in the fine tremor of her hands. Her AX agents were currently in a ring about her, all with mingled looks of horror and of pride too as she detailed what they would be doing in the coming hours. Sister Kate and the _Iron_ _Maiden_ would remain above the Vatican itself. If all else failed, the _Iron_ _Maiden_ still carried a fusion bomb that would be enough to destroy the Vatican and most of what remained of Rome herself. That would only come if all else of AX, the Cardinal herself included, lay dead, but Caterina planned for all possibilities. Sister Kate looked distinctly uncomfortable with this order, but did not protest. She would know first when agents fell, would mourn first, and move on.

"Dandelion, you, and your little girl shall be with His Holiness. Perhaps the sight of your daughter will be enough to give Alessandro the courage he will need." Francesco had loudly protested her decision to reunite father and daughter, but Caterina had paid him utterly no mind.

"Professor, I'll want you and Vaclev with Sister Kate." She offered them a reassuring smile. "I'll trust you to help her if something goes wrong; she'll need your steady hands, Havel, and your quick mind, William." Nods met her words, as if neither fully trusted himself to speak.

"Hugue, you and Tres will be with Abel and myself along the walls. If something should happen to me, you shall step up to my place, Hugue. Tres, if I fall, aid Hugue and Abel. If worst comes to worst and we must retreat to the Vatican itself, defend it as well as you can for as long as you can. You will know when you are out of options. I want no empty heroics, boys. Abel…." She fought to keep her serene expression as she turned to her dearest companion of them all, the one whose loss she would surely carry to her grave. "Abel, you'll need to use as much of your Crusnik abilities as you possibly can. With an army of Methuselahs against us, I'll need every trick you can muster." She paused, glanced around at them all. "My dearest friends, I do hope that this is not the last time we meet. But, if it is, then it is in God's hands. And it is there we shall leave it."

Had this been any other group of people, likely there would have been slightly awkward embraces, silences wherein one did not know what to say without seeming maudlin or sentimental. This was not the first time these men and women had faced death; the odds had never been quite so steep before, true. But neither had their determination been quite so strong. They would hold their ground, as long as breath and blood remained. Beyond that, they left in Hands much steadier than their own. "Dismissed." Caterina said softly but firmly, and each moved off to their assigned places, leaving herself, Tres, Hugue and Abel behind.

Hugue, being observant, motioned Tres to come a little closer and look over the final battleplan, while allowing Caterina and Abel a few stolen moments to themselves. Perhaps their last.

Keeping his voice low, Abel raised the objections he had held since Caterina first outlined her plan. "My lady, stand on the walls if you must. Rally the troops. But please, I beg of you, do not do so in your Cardinal's robes. To a Methuselah, that color means prey. Wounded prey!" Caterina looked up at him, wishing she could soothe the anguish in that well-beloved azure gaze. "This I know, Abel." She said gently. "But I am a Cardinal. I have worn these robes every day of my adult life, and nearly every day has been a battle of some sort, if not precisely this kind. I will prove, to our soldiers and to our enemies, that all of the College is not afraid. I will show our faith. I have faith, Abel. Faith in AX, faith in the troops, faith in God. Faith in you, my dearest." She whispered the last. "I know that you will keep me safe, if it is possible to do so. I want no safety that involves cowering in the false safety of a building, waiting on news of those I love. I shall be at your side. I will not abandon you now when you need me most." She took his hand in hers, wishing she could feel the warmth of his skin through the gloves both wore. He looked down at her, heart twisting inside, feeling proud of her unshakable faith and affection, and regretting at the same time her stubbornness. Had she only been even fractionally concerned for herself he could have convinced her to stay behind. But that would mean she would have been someone other than herself, and he would not choose to change her. "I would be proud to have you at my side, once more, my lady." He said simply, tightening his fingers about hers, and wishing he dared speak what both knew.

"It is time." Tres spoke up, his tones flat and unemotional as always. Caterina knew the truth of his words, and reached for the cross that completed her ceremonial finery. "Indeed it is, my friend." She said neutrally, stepping forward onto the path that would lead her to whatever fate lay in store for them all. Tres fell in a step behind and to the left, and Abel to the right, Hugue to watch everyone's back as they stepped into the bloody light of dawn.


End file.
